Dania/Dialogue
''Back to Dania'' ''Previous'''' '' ''Next'' Dialogue Red: Let me see if I can get you to understand why leaving a planet as pristine as possible is important. Plenty of scientists believe that life could have gradually formed from INORGANIC molecules. Reacting with energy, via the sun or lightning, they would form building blocks, like amino acids and nucleotides. Of course, there would be more combinations formed in further reactions, creating larger molecules and more complex polymers. By leaving a planet pristine, we get to see what life might be like if left alone. We could learn so much about how we came to be! What a revelation, right? Alana: We've already trudged through this argument! Red: We spoke of it in broad terms. X specifically stated they didn't think about this topic much. It's a good teachable moment. Anyway, inorganic molecules helping create life? Doesn't it give rise to the idea that we must keep planets intact for study? Not destroy them at our leisure? Alana: And then there is the flip side of this argument. Plenty of other scientists believe that organic molecules were brought to Earth via meteorites and that life sprang from there. Ultimately, how does that differ from our plan? Is the random chance of a meteorite crashing into a planet and maaaaaybe providing the building blocks for life somehow better than if humans do it with purpose? Red: Yes! Knowing the orig- Alana: And let's be really clear here, the universe destroys constantly! The dinosaurs disappeared due to a confluence of a massive volcanic eruption and a meteor crashing into the Earth. New life eventually rose from the ashes. And humans are better equipped than random chance to make that life reappear more quickly. There is nothing quantitatively or qualitatively superior about preserving a planet's natural state. Red: Yes, there is! Knowing if all the origins are the same, or if life can form from disparate reactions, can only benefit us! You think that just staying on Earth is stagnation, but I think reducing everything to Earth-like clones is stagnation. Forward momentum will require better understanding. Understanding requires knowledge. And you are asking us to stand with you as you reduce our ability to gain that knowledge! Alana: Neil, your ability to be stuck in the past while speaking of the future is truly mind-blowing. You've been quiet, X. Are you following us? Options: (each of these options leads to a radically different conversation. For the sake of clarity, I deal with (3) and (2) first, because those are 'dead ends' that don't lead to more options. That way my (1), (2), (3) markers don't get mixed up between different sets of options.) * (1) I want hard facts. * (2) Tell me the ethics of your beliefs. * (3) I'd like not to, is that an option? You (3): I'd like not to. Listen, I was the right person for this sim, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm not particularly interested in what you have to say, so you keep chatting and I'll go do my god thing. Ok? Great. (You begin Dania) You (2): When science doesn't hold the answers w need, humans have always turned to the community, government, or religious institutions to help point us in the right direction. So, what is the morally correct thing to do? Alana (2): There is no hard and fast rule. Gaians believe that our responsibility is to ourselves: humans. That does not mean we completely disregard other beings, because without those beings we would not survive. So, in following our best interests, we also do what is in the best interest of life around us. Red (2): Except when we don't! How many times have humans caused devastation completely by accident? We kill the wolves because they eat our cattle, only to have the deer overpopulate and destroy the pasture entirely. Learning from our mistakes would look like this: we put in the time and effort to study and experiment with our next steps. That is the beauty of non-ecosynthesis, non-terraforming! Living in habs allows us to do minimal damage to a planet while studying and utilizing only what is absolutely necessary to survive. Alana (2): We will never know everything. Holding ourselves back out of fear of ignorance is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Red (2): X, I'm begging you to stand with me, to hold out, for the sake of life that could be flourishing under our very noses. Alana (2): And the Gaians are asking -- I am asking -- you to stand with humans everywhere. Please don't choose a middle ground. That way lies red tape and a convenient belief that you can have it both ways. Red (2): On that we can agree. * You begin Dania. You (1): Yes, but please stick to the hard facts. I don't have time for a philosophy lesson. Red (1): It is precisely because we don't have the facts that we must move forward with a standard of ethics that allows everything within our moral community to retain their inherent rights. Alana (1): Inherent rights are dictated by those with a voice of power. They are ever-changing. That's where history comes into play in this conversation. Neil is asking us to put philosophy before action. Without action -- without experimentation -- we will remain in a purgatory of our ignorance of our own making. We can only truly begin to comprehend life beyond the blue marble when we go beyond the bounds of the marble! X, Are you going to stand on the side of cowboy philosophers or intrepid scientific explorers? Options: * (1) Intrepid Explorers * (2) Cowboy Philosophers * (3) I'm unsure. You (1): You've won me over for now, Ms. Lee. I'll go simulate paradise for you. (You start Dania) You (2): Mr. Jansson has won me over. Without science to back up our work, we are children with toys we don't understand. I'll refrain from terraforming. (You start Dania) You (3): It seems to me that there might be a compromise to be made. Or a case-by-case basis program to be constructed. None of this sits quite right with me. (You start Dania) ''Back to Dania'' ''Previous'''' '' ''Next'' Category:Dialogues Category:Historical Earths